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Netflix New Releases: 20 titles this week

Sort by Average Rating | Genre | Notable | Release Year | Streamability

Diary of a Wimpy Kid  2010  4.0 stars 92 mins Children & Family   Rated: PG
Middle school isn't all it's cracked up to be for self-described "wimpy kid" Greg Heffley, who discovers a frightening new world teeming with boys who are taller, tougher and hairier than he is -- and decides to document it all in his diary. Directed by Thor Freudenthal, this kid-friendly comedy based on Jeff Kinney's illustrated novel cast its star by asking kids to submit their auditions online.
Made for Each Other  2009  2.5 stars 97 mins Comedy   Rated: NR  until 31-Aug-2013    
Frustrated that his new wife (Bijou Phillips) still hasn't slept with him, Danny (Christopher Masterson) has a fling with his sexy sister-in-law (Lauren German). When major regret creeps in, Danny tries to save his marriage and erase his guilt by finding a guy to bed his bride and thus even the score. This ribald comedy from director Daryl Goldberg co-stars Danny Masterson, Samm Levine and Patrick Warburton.
Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?  2010  4.0 stars 121 mins Comedy   Rated: PG-13
An annual Caribbean retreat turns into a week of life-altering revelations when four couples bust their relationships wide open in filmmaker Tyler Perry's take on modern love, devotion, unfaithfulness and forgiveness. Angela (Tasha Smith) can't trust sportscaster Marcus (Michael Jai White) anymore, Sheila's (Jill Scott) ex (Richard T. Jones) toys with her new marriage and more. Janet Jackson, Malik Yoba, Lamman Rucker and Sharon Leal also star.
A Quiet Little Marriage  2008  3.7 stars 90 mins Drama   Rated: NR
With her dad descending into an Alzheimer's haze and a junkie for a brother-in-law, happily married Olive (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) decides that the answer to life's problems is a baby -- too bad her spouse (Cy Carter) doesn't agree. But with the missus poking holes in her diaphragm and hubby spiking her coffee with birth control pills, love may not conquer all in this Slamdance Film Festival award winner. Jimmi Simpson and Charlie Day also star.
Red Riding Trilogy: Part 1: 1974  2009  3.6 stars 102 mins Drama   Rated: NR  until 17-Aug-2013    
Loosely based on the facts surrounding Britain's notorious Yorkshire Ripper case, this grim thriller, Part 1 in the television adaptation of David Peace's novels, uncovers rampant police and civil corruption in mid-1970s Northern England. Girls are disappearing, the Yorkshire community is abuzz with gossip and fear, and a young reporter (Andrew Garfield) is suspicious when a mentally handicapped immigrant is fingered for the heinous crimes.
Red Riding Trilogy: Part 2: 1980  2009  3.2 stars 93 mins Drama   Rated: NR  until 17-Aug-2013    
After six years of vicious unsolved murders, Manchester policeman Peter Hunter (Paddy Considine) arrives in West Yorkshire to supervise the Yorkshire Ripper investigation, along with a copycat killer case, in this second installment of the Red Riding trilogy. Meanwhile, he must also deal with local police corruption and his struggle to remain faithful to his wife while working closely with his ex, fellow investigator Helen Marshall (Maxine Peake).
Red Riding Trilogy: Part 3: 1983  2009  3.3 stars 105 mins Drama   Rated: NR  until 17-Aug-2013    
When the current case of a missing 10-year-old becomes linked to the abduction and murder of Clare Kemplay in 1974, investigators torture the man who found Clare's body in an effort to learn more in this final installment of the Red Riding trilogy. Meanwhile, solicitor John Piggott's (Mark Addy) conversations with the man found guilty of the old abduction points to a wrongful conviction and a search for the real murderer.
The Lena Baker Story  2008  3.4 stars 100 mins Drama   Rated: PG-13
On April 30, 1944, Lena Baker shot and killed the man who had served as her employer, abuser and sexual partner for the past three years. She claimed self-defense; the state cried murder, and sentenced her to death. This film tells her story. Tichina Arnold stars as Baker, the only woman to be sent to the electric chair in Georgia -- only to be pardoned decades later -- in this drama written and directed by Ralph Wilcox.
Tormented  2009  3.3 stars 91 mins Horror   Rated: NR
Sweet Justine (Tuppence Middleton) starts hanging out with hunky Alexis (Dimitri Leonidas), only to learn that he and his cool pals share a dark secret that led to the suicide of unpopular classmate Darren (Calvin Dean). Now, Darren is back from the grave, and it's his turn to torment his tormentors. Hell hath no fury like an asthmatic nerd scorned in this scary British teen horror, also starring Alex Pettyfer and April Pearson.
Harry Brown  2009  3.6 stars 103 mins Thrillers   Rated: R
When a crew of drug-dealing gang members takes the life of his only friend, Leonard (David Bradley), retired Marine and widower Harry Brown (Michael Caine) decides to take the law into his own hands -- but his old-school training might be overmatched. Helmed by first-time feature director Daniel Barber, this gritty vigilante thriller set in England also stars Emily Mortimer, Iain Glen, Jack O'Connell, Ben Drew, Joseph Gilgun and Liam Cunningham.
Godkiller  2009  3.1 stars 75 mins Anime & Animation   Rated: UR
Even in a postapocalyptic future in which Earth has been colonized by aliens, humans need hearts to live, so when an orphan boy's sister needs a new one, he'll go to just about any length to get it in this "illustrated film" from Matt Pizzolo. The first in a three-episode series based on the director's comic book of the same name, the film mixes original artwork from the comic with elements of anime, radio drama and video games.
Brothers & Sisters: Season 4  2009  4.2 stars 1032 mins Television
Tireless matriarch Nora Walker (played by Sally Field, who won an Emmy for the role) leads her affluent progeny through more triumphs, tragedies and surprises in the fourth season of this classy ABC soap opera. A whole new round of professional and personal dramas unfold for Justin (Dave Annable), Kitty (Calista Flockhart), Tommy (Balthazar Getty), Sarah (Rachel Griffiths), Julia (Sarah Jane Morris), Rebecca (Emily VanCamp) and Saul (Ron Rifkin).
House, M.D.: Season 6  2009  4.6 stars 971 mins Television
Two-time Golden Globe Award winner Hugh Laurie returns for a sixth season of this Emmy-winning drama series as Dr. Greg House, the brilliant yet incorrigible MD who heads up the team of infectious disease specialists at Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital. Omar Epps, Robert Sean Leonard, Lisa Edelstein, Jennifer Morrison and Jesse Spencer also return as the irascible House's team of skilled diagnosticians.
NCIS: Los Angeles: Season 1  2009  4.0 stars 1035 mins Television
Going deep undercover to protect U.S. interests, the Los Angeles Office of Special Projects Division of NCIS is composed of a tight-knit group of agents who rely on high-tech gear and one another to take down threats to national security. Lara Macy (Louise Lombard) leads a crack team that includes "G" Callen (Chris O'Donnell), who changes identities like other people change their underwear, and ex-Navy SEAL Sam Hanna (LL Cool J) in this CBS drama.
Parenthood: Season 1  2010  4.3 stars Television
When struggling single mom Sarah Braverman (Lauren Graham) moves back home to Berkeley, Calif., with her two surly teens in tow, she reunites with her three adult siblings who are also confronting the challenges of parenthood in the new millennium. Even Sarah's own parents are discovering that the job never ends. Peter Krause, Monica Potter and Craig T. Nelson co-star in this dramatic series based on Ron Howard's hit 1989 film of the same name.
Sons of Anarchy: Season 2  2009  4.7 stars 583 mins Television
In the second season of this hit series set in California, Charlie Hunnam returns as Jax Teller, a father torn between devotion to his young child and loyalty to his vigilante biker gang, the Sons of Anarchy. As Jax's parents (Katey Sagal and Ron Perlman) lead the gang deeper into violence, the club encounters new foes, including white supremacist Ethan Zobelle (Adam Arkin) and deadly rival A.J. Weston (Henry Rollins).
The Middle: Season 1  2009  4.2 stars 528 mins Television
Patricia Heaton stars in this sitcom as Frankie Heck, a middle-aged, middle-class mom who's just trying to hold it together as she raises three kids with her husband (Neil Flynn) in Orson, Ind., smack in the center of America's heartland. Between dealing with teen Axel's (Charlie McDermott) surliness and daughter Sue's (Eden Sher) klutziness, she must also keep a close eye on eccentric 7-year-old Brick's (Atticus Shaffer) active imagination.
The Vampire Diaries: Season 1  2009  4.6 stars 500 mins Television
Elena (Nina Dobrev) falls for two brothers and discovers that they share an ancient secret: Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) are vampires who've been fighting for centuries and are now battling to gain control of Elena's town -- and her soul. Soon, Elena learns about their deadly needs and the secret that sparked their bitter blood feud in this supernatural series based on the popular novels by L.J. Smith.
Cinévardaphoto  2004  2.6 stars 92 mins Foreign (French)   Rated: NR  until 31-Aug-2012    
How potent is the power of a picture? Filmmaker Agnès Varda asks this question and attempts to answer it in three separate vignettes. In the first, a female artist, Ydessa, collects photographs of teddy bears. But why? Next, the director examines her snapshots from the 1950s, taking a step back in time. The final short captures Cuba after the revolution, full of possibilities and on the brink of otherness.
OSS 117: Lost in Rio  2009  3.5 stars 97 mins Foreign (French)   Rated: NR  starting 14-Sep-2010    
When outrageously chauvinistic French secret agent OSS 117 (Jean Dujardin) journeys to Cold War-era Rio de Janeiro to recover a top-secret microfilm, gorgeous Israeli Nazi-hunter Dolorès Koulechov (Louise Monot) joins in the quest. But as the pair zero in on their quarry, the hapless Frenchman's disdain for Koulechov's gender and nationality threaten their mission. Michel Hazanavicius directs this delightful parody of James Bond-esque films.